The most significant ideas are the lack of development in the dorsal lateral pre-frontal lobe - or critical thinking section - of the brain. Teens are, to put it crudely, very much still "brain stem driven cavemen" in the way the see and approach the world. However, the important information for educators, and the education system as a whole, is the understanding the complex process of synapses "pruning" that goes on in these years as the brain prepares itself for what it's actually going to need in life. Unnecessary, or under-utilized, skills and knowledge is shut down.
This "pruning" that will inevitably take place is the most significant argument for a well rounded classical, or liberal, education. However, more than simply exposure to the content, the teachers and the system need to do a much more effective job of explaining and teaching kids what is happening to their own brains and why we do what we do and why we expect what we expect.
1 comment:
I have always been fascinated by the brain and have spent significant time and energy learning about the teenage and especially the learning teenage brain. I, in fact, have a a semester's worth college credit in this exact realm. Everything you said was correct, but people need to be careful with the pruning card. Pruning can be misinterpreted to be a weakening of the brain when the reality of it is the exact opposite. It makes your brain stronger by cutting off all the useless connections and strengthening the key connections. That is only a warning: people often misconstrue information they don't understand about the brain.
Post a Comment